One of my poker buddies is missing. Yes, I happen to know his name (first and last), from which city he hails, and even his college football allegiance. I won't call his name here for his own privacy. I know he reads this blog from time to time and maybe he'll comment and let me (us?) know what's going on.
I've talked to several of our mutual poker acquaintances and they don't know what happened to him either. They all know the same thing I know.........we haven't seen him for quite a while and he was one of the regulars at my home casino.
My buddy's disappearance got me to thinking.........we poker players really don't know a whole lot about each other in general. I know a lot of poker players by their first name only. No idea what their last name is, where they live, or anything about their lives. I call them my "poker buddies" but that's not quite true. I never see any of these guys anywhere other than a poker room. Some of them I play against on a regular basis. Several times a week. But I don't really know them. And, conversely, they don't really know me either.
One of our "poker buddies" was murdered a couple of years ago. I only knew Jake by his first name, his card cover (a miniature Tobasco bottle) and the unique hat he wore. I also knew some of his poker tendencies. He was a really nice guy. I enjoyed being at the same table with him. I didn't go to his funeral. Not sure if any of us did. Yet I refer to him as one of my "poker buddies".
As I said, I know a lot of poker players by their first name only. I really know almost nothing else about them other than their poker tendencies. Is he married? Any children? Grandchildren? Retired? What is his/her profession? Hobbies? Religious beliefs? Political leanings? Aspirations and dreams? Regrets? What do I know about most of them? The truth is I know almost nothing about them and they know about the same about me.
Most of these guys/gals that I know from playing poker seem to be really nice people. Sure, there are a couple of jerks in the bunch but, for the most part, I enjoy being around my "poker buddies". A lot of them have a pretty good sense of humor and most of them are polite gentlemen/ladies.
Why are we poker players so non-social? I have a theory. (Mind you, it's just a theory......I'm not claiming that I'm right.) Maybe it's because poker is such an individual sport. At the poker table it's every man/woman for himself/herself. We compete AGAINST each other. Most of the time we spend together is in an adversarial role. I would like some comments on this line of thought.
In any case, I hope my missing poker buddy is OK and he turns up soon.
See you at the tables.
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